


Bumblby Reunited

by copperblue



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copperblue/pseuds/copperblue
Summary: When Blake stumbles across her team again she can't help but follow, but do they want her back?orA non-canonical piece of fluff (with some angst thrown in of course) about Blake and Yang making amends.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 8
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how long this piece is going to be but fairly short. Maybe six chapters? First four are written but it needs concluding.
> 
> I enjoyed writing about our cute bees so I hope you enjoy reading.
> 
> Oh and sorry for the crap title, I didn't have one ready. Suggestions welcome! ; )

Blake awoke with a start, almost falling from the thick branch she had taken refuge on in the night. Balance regained, she leaned back against the trunk giving her pounding heart a moment to recover after the shock of an almost 60ft drop. As her heart slowed Blake sighed, tilting her head to feel the warmth of the sun gleaming through the upper branches. The sun which was already high in the sky. 

_Fuck._ She’d overslept. Blake’s shifted, eyes darting to the vacant campsite below, several feet in the distance, the cold remains of ashes a sign the occupants had long since left. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

Using years of practice, Blake scrambled down the tree, hurried enough she wasn’t worrying about noise but careful enough to not injure herself in the process. Reaching the bottom branch, Blake swung off, her feet hitting the forest floor with an assured but gentle thud. Silently she jogged over to the clearing, reaffirming what she already knew. Aside from the burnt out remains of the fire, no trace anyone had ever been there. They were gone. 

Blake berated herself, annoyed she had fallen asleep. That was not part of the plan, keeping watch was the plan, and she had failed. Again.

Peering through the thick forest around her, she tried to glimpse any sign of which direction they might have gone. Several make-shift paths lead away from the clearing, and although she knew the final destination, she had no idea which direction that lay in. Her eyes were really not helping and her woodland tracking skills were definitely not up to the task, so instead she closed her eyes, and just listened, her faunus ears twitching periodically. 

In the past, Blake had wondered if humans ever really realised how much life around them they couldn’t see. Sure she had the advantage of cat hearing - far superior to her human ears - but even so, in Blake’s experience most people seemed to like talking more than listening. Right now, she could hear birds flying to and from the nests; insects eating, drinking, building homes; mammals chattering, foraging, scurrying back and forth. It was deafening. But none of these sounds interested her. Blake wanted to hear heavy boots hitting the ground, the flutter of a cloak, light-hearted chatter. Taking a deep breath, Blake stilled her thoughts, blocking out the sounds of life around her, focusing solely on her targets. Her hearing was actually superior for hearing higher pitched sounds, but still if she could just hear something, anything. Boots, a cloak, chatter, boots, a cloak -

An ear-piercing scream split the forest. Blake’s eyes sprung open. Weiss. Her feet were moving in the direction of the scream before she had time to process what that noise could mean. Instinctively, she pulled Gambol Shroud from it’s resting place on her back, taking comfort in the familiar weight of the weapon. Blake ran with every fiber of her being, no longer hearing the sounds of the forest over the pounding of her own heart. Weiss had screamed. Weiss was in trouble which meant Ruby and Yang were in trouble too.

As if on cue she heard Weiss yell, “Yang!”

Yang.

Blake’s heart clenched at the sound of her partners name. The cry had been closer this time, confirming Blake was at least running in the right direction, even if she couldn’t see anyone yet. Putting on an extra burst of speed, Blake darted through the dense woodland, jumping over fallen trees, swiping branches out of her way, planting her footing carefully. She would be of no use if she sprained her ankle in her haste. 

But her team were in trouble, and she wasn’t there. She knew this would happen. The second she lost sight of them, something like this was bound to happen. 

Trying to keep a level head Blake picked up the pace even more. To her left, she heard the distinct click of Ember Celica locking into place. Adjusting her trajectory, Blake knew she was close. So close. 

A lighter patch of forest up ahead caught her eye. A clearing. Was this where they were? But it was too quiet. She hadn’t heard Yang even fire off one shot. Was it over? Were they - Shaking her head, Blake focused on her destination. A flash of red caught her eye. _Ruby._ Ruby was ahead. Blake pushed herself harder than she thought possible, breaking the tree line to the small clearing, only to come skidding to a halt at what she saw before her.

Her team, weapons raised and pointing at _her_.

“Blake!” screamed Weiss, surprise tugging the name from her lips.

Heart still pounding, Blake blinked the three women in front of her, scanning each of them for signs of injury. Finding none, Blake had trouble convincing herself they were okay. Weiss was looking rather disheveled, almost covered from head to toe in mud, but otherwise looked unhurt. Ruby and Yang looked, well…fine. Shocked, but fine. Still, Blake had to make sure.

“Are you all okay?” she asked, her voice coming out shakier than she would have liked. No-one responded, all still staring at her in shock. Blake felt compelled to continue with an explanation. “I heard a scream and I - I thought…” she trailed off, suddenly feeling uncertain, foolish, and hyper aware she was still holding Gambol Shroud in front of her in an attack position. Changing tack, Blake looked at Weiss, the one she had heard scream. “Weiss, are you okay?” she asked sincerely concerned. 

Somehow the question broke the spell. Weiss lowered her weapon blinking with wide eyes, before patting down her skirt which was far from white anymore, before flicking her ponytail out of her face and over her shoulder. At another time, Blake would have laughed at the ridiculousness of this usually perfectly dressed girl, attempting to be presentable whilst covered in thick sludge. “Oh, I’m fine. I’d be better if Ruby wasn’t such a dolt.”

“Hey!” came the high pitched protest from Ruby, as she retracted her weapon Scarlet Rose and locked her on her belt. “It’s not MY fault you came on this trip in a white dress and inappropriate footwear! Besides, I was trying to lead us around the big boggy mess, not through it.”

“Well, it’s not like I wanted to get covered head to toe in horrible, smelly, mud! Getting dirty in a fight is one thing, but this? This is just - Grrr!” Weiss stamped her foot in frustration, fists clenching at her sides. 

Blake quietly watched the exchange, still too shocked to do anything other than observe the familiar bickering. Somehow it was strangely comforting to see Ruby and Weiss squabbling just as they always had. Blake had seen a little of it whilst she’d been following them over the past few days, but watching from a distance wasn’t the same. 

Slowly, she became acutely aware of Yang’s eyes on her, and Blake suddenly found herself afraid. She’d thought about this moment so often, dreaming up how it would play out, what she would say. Wondering how angry Yang would be with her, because she would be angry, of that Blake had no doubt. She didn’t want to look at Yang and see red where there used to be lilac. She didn’t want proof she provoked those kinds of feelings in Yang, feelings usually reserved for injustice, Grimm, or her mother. She didn’t want to know, and yet, as always, she felt her eyes drawn to Yang’s.

_Lilac._

Blake released a breathe she didn’t know she had been holding. Yang’s eyes were lilac, and gods, they were as beautiful as ever. Maybe a little harder than she remembered, but still beautiful. She’d forgotten how breath-taking Yang was, even with her mouth set in a hard line, Blake was drawn to her in an inexplicable way. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Yang, to feel the blonde enclose her in an embrace that would make the world fall away, but it wasn’t her move to make. It was Yangs. 

But she could at least break the ice by saying hello. Couldn’t she? Apparently not. Blake’s throat was suddenly drier than it had ever been in her life. She wanted to say Yang’s name, and hear Yang say hers. Gods how she’d missed Yang saying her name. She wanted to say _I’ve missed you_ , and _I’m sorry_ , and so much more, but as hard as she try, nothing would come out.

It was only when Ruby asked her a question that Blake noticed the quiet that had settled over the glade - Ruby and Weiss argument had long since trailed off into them juts watching. 

“So! Blake!” cut Ruby’s voice brightly into the silence. “What are you, er, doing here?” 

Blake was reluctant to break eye-contact with Yang, but Ruby’s question demanded an answer. Not that she really had one. Well she did, but not one she wanted to give. Admitting she’d been stalking them through the woods for days was hardly going to throw her in the best light, even if it was with good intentions. She’d never intended to actually make contact with them, just watch them for a while, make sure they were okay, and then she planned to be on her way once she’d reassured herself they were doing fine without her. Which they were - apparently. Nothing she’d seen had suggested otherwise. They were capable of course and had adapted their fighting styles to just the three of them. All in all, they seemed… happy.

Shifting her weight nervously, Blake slowly sheathed Gambol Shroud, trying to buy a precious few seconds to think up an explanation. 

“Well, I er, I thought you guys were in trouble,” she began hesitantly, eyes flicking to where Yang was still staring at her. 

“We’ve established that much already, but what are you doing _here_?” asked Weiss. Blake must have looked blankly at her because Weiss felt the need to elaborate, slowly. “In the forest. What are you doing here, in the _forest_?” 

Blake’s gaze dropped to the floor, hugging her elbows, as she searched for an answer that could explain exactly what she was doing without completely lying to her teammates. This had never been the plan. “I…um…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw Yang shift her weight, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed. She could feel them all looking at her, waiting for an answer, and the pressure was almost unbearable.

“Were you looking for us?” Ruby offered tentatively as an explanation. 

Blake hated this. She didn’t want to lie, and even if she did she couldn’t think of anything convincing enough to say. “Not exactly,” she reluctantly admitted.

Weiss’ eyes narrowed next. “ _Spying_ on us?” she hesitantly asked.

Blake’s head jerked up. “No, no not spying…” she trailed off.

“But you have been following us?” asked Weiss, reading into Blake’s guilty body language.

This time Blake didn’t look down, although she couldn’t bring her voice to actually say it. Yang gave a small huff, shifting her weight again uncomfortably, arms dropping to her sides. 

Ruby ignored her sister as she continued to probe Blake. “But I don’t understand. Why didn’t you come and say hi?”

She couldn’t help herself, Blake’s eyes flickered to Yang, whose shoulders slumped, body shrinking under the implication of that look. 

“Oh,” came Ruby’s small response as she followed Blake’s eyes to her sister. 

Startled, Blake’s eyes widened. “No! That’s not what - “ She cut herself off trying again. “Yang, I didn’t mean - “ Blake stopped again, trying to arrange her thoughts whilst squashing the rising panic within. Dammit. Why couldn’t she just use her words? _Just say it. Just say it was an accident, that you hadn’t been looking for them - no that sounded worse. Admit it. Tell them you were afraid they’d not want to see you._ “I’m just…” Blake trailed off, unable to finish.

After a moment’s silence, Yang’s tired voice said, “C’mon Weiss, let’s find somewhere to clean up.”

Weiss looked at Yang with surprise with the sudden instruction. “Oh! Okay.” She looked momentarily uncomfortable at having to choose between following Yang or staying and talking to Blake, but in the end loyalty to Yang won over. She glanced sympathetically towards Blake before following where Yang had already left. 

Blake watched the two women walk away, her heart heavy with disappointment. She knew she deserved it, her team walking away from her, just as she had from them, but it didn’t make it any less painful. 

Ruby too, stepped in the same direction, and Blake thought she might cry before the younger woman turned to face Blake. “You coming?” she asked, blinking wide-eyed and innocent at her.

She would never be able to convey just how grateful she was to Ruby for that kind gesture of inclusion. Still, she hesitated. A million thoughts ran through her head. Blake knew this was a bad idea, Adam was still out there, hunting her, just as he always would be, and being with her team put them in danger. It put Yang in danger. Leaving Yang in Beacon was both the hardest and easiest decision of her life. It didn’t matter what Blake wanted. _Her_ feelings didn’t come into it. She had put a target on her teams back and she had to protect them no matter what. Even if that meant never seeing them again. She always swore to herself that given the choice again, she’d make the same one, she’d leave them all behind. She’d run away. 

Her head always telling her she really should run, but her heart? Her heart told her to stay. 

So here she was, presented with the same choice, but despite herself, Blake nodded at her team leader. She would stay. For a little while at least.


	2. Chapter 2

After making the decision to stay, Blake walked alongside Ruby, a little way behind Weiss and Yang. Ruby had chatted endlessly about Crescent Rose and the upgrades she wanted to make, about the Grimm they had encountered, about a couple of hunters and huntresses they’d bumped into and _their_ weapons. Overall a lot of weapons talk. Not that Blake minded, she appreciated the effort Ruby was making and the haphazard chatter was actually a comfort. She knew Ruby was avoiding asking her personal questions and at the same time omitting any personal information about any of the team. It seamed none of them were ready for that conversation yet. 

Only half listening, Blake watched Yang up ahead. She was burning to ask Ruby questions about Yang, or to catch up with her and just have the kind of conversations he was having with Ruby right now. Weiss was laughing at something Yang had said leaving Blake felt a sharp pang of jealousy. She wanted to be laughing with Yang, or better yet, to make Yang laugh. It had been so long that Blake could barely remember its sound, but she remembered the way it made her feel, and she knew there was no better sound in the world.

After several hours of walking, they had stopped at the rivers edge when Blake pointed them in the right direction, having heard the water long before any of them saw it. Yang fussed over Weiss, getting her to strip and bathe, whilst Yang did her best cleaning the usually pristine dress. Blake had found herself smiling as she watched Yang mother her somewhat prideful teammate. They used to chat about their pasts. What it was like for Yang and Ruby growing up without a mother, and a father who loved them but was at work far too often. How Yang mostly raised Ruby, and all the scrapes they used to get into as a result. 

So different from Blake's upbringing. She had two loving, dependable parents, and no, they didn’t always see eye-to-eye, particularly when it came to politics, but they loved her regardless. Her recent trip home had reminded her just how lucky she truly was. 

She watched Yang lift her metal arm to her forehead to wipe sweat from her brow, briefly frown when it made contact and switch to her more suitable left arm for the task. Guilt washed over Blake. If it wasn’t for her Yang wouldn’t have needed a replacement arm. If she’d kept her mouth shut that night and not cried out when Adam stabbed her, or if she’d kept quiet when she saw Yang and not let him see how much Yang meant to her, or if she’d never left him, never gone to Beacon in the first place… _if, if, if_. Questioning every decision she had ever made didn’t change the fact Yang had lost her arm, and Blake was in part, the reason why. 

When Blake had first seen Yang a few days ago from the cover of the trees she didn’t know what to expect. She instantly looked at Yang’s arm of course, not expecting to see a shiny yellow and black, state-of-the-art piece of Atlas technology where once a soft, pale, muscled limb had once been. She had watched with a smile as Yang had tied her hair in a ponytail, used the arm to hold a stick which she kept fussing over the fire with, joked around with her teammates about it, often taking it off and leaving it in comical positions, usually for Weiss to find. One night, Blake had watched Yang chatty to Ruby, drumming the metal fingers on her cheek absent-minded, and Blake found herself with a huge grin on her face. That small gesture, above all, made Blake realized how much a part of Yang it was now. Yes she had lost a part of herself, but she had adapted.

Blake didn’t know if she sighed out loud or said something, but Yang’s head shot in her direction, frowning as though she had forgotten Blake was there. Yang quickly looked away when she realized Blake was watching her, lilac eyes training back to her task of scrubbing Weiss’ dress, and _was she blushing?_ Blake’s heart skipped a beat. 

Without looking up again Yang said, “The sun will be setting soon. You and Ruby should find us somewhere to set up camp.”

Blake wasn’t sure she’d heard right. Did Yang just talk to her? Was that some kind of olive branch? Blake didn’t move, not trusting herself. Maybe Yang hadn’t spoken, maybe she’d just been daydreaming again. Weiss stared at her expectantly from where she had paused half way through climbing out of the river where she had been bathing. The jerk of her head she directed towards Blake suggested that yes, Yang had told her to go set up camp. Yang hadn’t said it, but she new her partner must have thought it, unless your not staying. 

Standing, Blake brushed herself off, searching for where Ruby was sat a little further down the river, trying to catch the last of the daylight as she cleaned Crescent Rose. The nights were drawing in so fast these days. Yang had offered her a small opening and Blake wasn’t going to waste it. She desperately wanted to prove to Yang she was here, and she was going to be the best teammate she possibly could. 

Giving a grateful Weiss a pull-up onto the bank before she left, Blake went to collect Ruby for their mission. Her younger teammate was sat crossed leg, a smile on her face, muttering quiet sweet nothings to Crescent Rose as she loving sheened the weapon with delicate strokes. Blake would have laughed it she hadn’t caught Ruby in this position hundred times. Never had she known someone to care for their weapon the way Ruby did. Sure they all loved them, their weapons were an extension of themselves, but Ruby took her love to another level.

“Ruby?” Blake was almost sad to disturb the young girl who jumped at the interruption. 

“Oh! Hey Blake. You okay?” 

“The sun will be setting soon. Yang suggested we find somewhere to set up camp.” 

Ruby peered at the dimming daylight, noticing for the first time how low the sun was. “Huh. Well, we’d better get scouting then.”

Giving Crescent Rose one last wipe down, Ruby stood, kissed her weapon, whilst Blake tried not to laugh, and clipped it to her belt once more. Without speaking she turned to the forest, Blake at her side.

“So,” Ruby began as the scrambled their way back into the woodland, “Where have you been all this time?”

Blake tensed. She knew the questions were coming and she’d have to answer them sooner or later, she just hadn’t expected it this soon. Or from Ruby. 

“I went home. To Menagerie.” 

Just saying it’s name conjured mixed feelings of love, fear, and hate. She had mostly reconciled her past, but it still caught her out at times.

“To see your parents?” prodded Ruby, quietly.

Blake nodded, “Yes.”

Ruby stopped, grabbing Blake's arm to pull her to a stop too. Blake instantly on alert, ears erect, listening for whatever danger Ruby had heard that she didn’t.

“Blake, that’s huge!” cried Ruby.

“Where? What? Huh?” Blake frowned confused. Oh. Seeing her parents - not a Grimm. “Yeah. I guess.” She was downplaying it now, but it really was huge and a part of her was relieved her friend knew that. 

“Oh. Did it not go well?” 

“What? No, it went great, they were… great.” 

“They were?!” Ruby’s excitement all at once spilled over. “Where they surprised? Did you let them know you were coming? Had they changed much? Oh, did you tell them about team Rwby? About all the adventures we’ve had?”

“Woah, Ruby.” Blake stopped her friend before she could fire off any more questions. 

“Oops. Sorry.” Ruby responded sheepishly. “I guess I’m just excited for you. I want to hear all about it! I know Weiss and Yang will too!”

Blake's head dropped slightly. “Will she?”

“Will who what?” asked Ruby.

“Will Yang want to know what I’ve been doing?” 

Blake hated how needy she sounded, making it obvious how much she wanted Yang to be okay with her.

Ruby sighed. “Of course she will. Sure she’s a little mad right now, but she’s had a lot to go through, you know? You, being here all of a sudden? I don’t think she’d prepared for that. It’s just gonna take a little getting used to.”

Blake smiled. She knew what Ruby was doing - giving her hope, telling her it wasn’t all over, she hadn’t ruined everything forever. 

“Thanks Ruby.”

“Now,” started the young huntress, “we’d better get on with our mission before Yang and Weiss come looking for us. I can tell you all about the pranks I’ve been playing on Weiss since we set off, and we can save your stories for later.”

Grateful for the diversionary conversation Ruby was offering her, Blake let her cheery babbling wash over her once more as they searched for a suitable place to set up camp, whilst she thought about what she would tell them all tonight.

  
***

  
Weiss was ringing her hair out as she watched Ruby and Blake head off into the forest. Laying her mostly clean jacket on the floor, she sat on top of it whilst she watched Yang scrub at her dress.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked Yang, as she pulled a small brush from her pack.

“No,” grumbled Yang, keeping her eyes fixed on her task.

Weiss peered at her friend. In some ways, Yang and she were a lot alike. Both women had to bring themselves up, albeit in rather different ways, both felt the need to always be strong, that they couldn’t show the world their feelings in case others saw weakness. The differences came in that Weiss was learning from her team to be more open, whereas Yang was becoming more closed. In some ways, Weiss thought Yang was terrible at hiding her feelings, but getting her to talk about them was become harder every time something knocked her for six. And Blake’s sudden return? Well, they had all been blindsided by that one.

Making sure her focus appeared to be on her hair and not Yang, Weiss observed, “You know, I don’t think my dress is going to get any cleaner.” 

“What?” Yang stopped what she was doing, her focus being drawn to the dress for the first time since she’d started the practically useless task. Yang scowled. How was she supposed to clean a dress with dirty river water anyways? Ringing it out one last time, Yang hung it on a nearby branch to dry. It probably wouldn’t help much, but they could put it near the fire later to dry off properly.

Yang stood awkwardly for a moment, not wanting to go after Ruby and Blake but equally not wanting to just sit with her thoughts. At least the washing had given her something to do. Plonking herself next to Weiss she pulled her pack over. Huffing, she riffled through it, not sure of what she was looking for. Her scroll had long since died, she had no magazines, no work, nothing to punch, which is what she’d really like right now. Nothing. She huffed again, looking at Weiss still brushing her hair. She does have a lot of it.

“Weiss?”

“Hmm?” 

“Could I - could I help you with your hair?” 

Weiss turned to her, surprise on her face. “Oh!”

Suddenly Yang felt foolish, quickly back-peddling. “You don’t have to. It was a silly question. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“I’d love you to help,” came the soft response.

Yang grinned, taking the offered hair brush form Weiss. Kneeling behind her, Yang continued where Weiss had left off. She could feel Weiss relaxing into the feeling. 

“I can’t remember the last time someone did my hair for me.” 

That was a surprise. Yang assumed Weiss probably had people who did that sort of thing for her, not that she’s ever suggested that to the heiress. “Didn’t your mom, or Winter ever do your hair?” 

Weiss huffed a small laugh. “Winter and I were never those kinds of sisters, and my mom? Well, I think she lost the ability to care about her children a long time ago.” 

Yang didn’t know how to respond to that. It was difficult for her to imagine having two parents in her life who didn’t care, but even harder to imagine not being close to her sister.

“I used to do Ruby’s hair all the time, once our mom died. Ruby used to get really upset over the little things like that. Who would do her hair? Who would help her make and then eat the cookies? Who would put her to bed? At the time they seemed like such silly little things to me, but they meant so much to her. And they weren’t silly, or little. They were the really big things in the end.” Yang handed the brush back to Weiss, holding her hand out for the band. “At first I was terrible. At all of it. But Ruby was always so patient, and I guess over time I just got better at it.” She pulled Weiss’ hair into a tight ponytail. “Want me to braid it?” Weiss nodded, content to let Yang work and talk. “I tried to teach Rubes, because I knew once I left for Beacon she’d have to do it herself, but she couldn’t or wouldn’t learn. That’s when she cut it all off, and then she ended up at school with us anyway!” 

“You never want to style your hair?” queried Weiss. 

Yang shook her head. “Nah. It’s too unruly. Too much like my mom’s.”

Weiss thought for a moment. She knew a little from Ruby about her and Yang’s mom’s, but Yang never spoke about them, not unless Ruby brought them up. It didn’t seem to Weiss that Yang ever tried to stop Ruby from talking about her mom, but she seemed to have a different kind of sadness attached to the subject.

“You never talk about her. Raven. Or Summer.”

Yang shrugged. “There’s nothing to talk about. Raven left when I was a baby, and Summer left for a mission and died.”

Weiss seemed about to say something but stopped herself. Not before Yang caught it though. “Weiss, whatever it is, just say it.”

Weiss hesitated. Not because she didn’t think it was the right question, but because she wasn’t sure of the consequences. “Wouldn’t you have wanted them to come back? If they could?”

Weiss felt a slight tug on her hair. Ouch! Maybe the wrong question then.

Yang immediately felt irritated by the not-so veiled question. “Blake didn’t die, Weiss. She chose to leave.” Yang held her hand out for another braid to tie off the end of Weiss’ hair.

“I know,” said Weiss, her back still turned to Yang. “But she also chose to come back. I just think, now she’s here, we might as well hear her reasons.”

The air shifted as Yang moved to sit next Weiss, sighing sadly. “I know. It’s just… I’m just afraid of what those reasons might be.”

It didn’t go unnoticed how Yang grabbed her metallic arm, but Weiss chose not to comment. Blake had left them all that day, but she had left Yang most of all. 

“You got any spare clothes in that pack of yours?” asked Yang, changing the subject.

“Uh-uh.” Weiss shook her head, happy to go with Yang’s flow. If she didn’t want to talk about Blake who was Weiss to judge? Besides, Weiss was pretty sure there would be many more conversations revolving around Blake in the coming days. 

Yang stood up, holding her hand out to Weiss. “I have a spare tee if you want it? It’s pretty big on me so should fit you just fine. I’ll even let you borrow my belt so you can style it up into a dress! Just don’t go falling into any muddy puddles, it’s the last clean thing I’ve got.”

Weiss glared as Yang winked at her. 

“Fine,” she answered, pretending to sulk as she held her hand out for the bright orange tee and belt. Orange was so not her colour, but her only other option was running around in her underwear so… “I still haven’t forgiven Ruby. Or you for that matter!”

Yang’s eyes went wide. “What did I do!” she asked shocked.

“You know full well what you did,” came the cool response.

“Well I can always keep -” began Yang, slowly pulling back her hand holding the t-shirt.

“No!” cried Weiss impulsively. Then, knowing she had given herself away, “I will forgive you on this occasion, but don’t do it again.”

Yang laughed, “Okay, Princess.”

Weiss scowled at Yang, but not before she snatched the articles of clothing away from her team-mate. As she started to turn away, Yang stopped her. 

“And Weiss, thank you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quite liked writing the different pairings bonding. 
> 
> Kudos and comments always welcomed : )


	3. Chapter 3

They were about half way back to the river when Ruby spotted Yang and Weiss ambling towards them.

“Weiss! What are you wearing?” snickered Ruby as the two women got closer. 

The heiress scowled at Ruby. “I should be wearing my dress,” she remarked, her tone making it perfectly clear who’s fault she thought it was that she wasn’t able to. “Thankfully, Yang had a spare t-shirt I could borrow whilst my clothes dry.”

Ruby snickered some more, blatantly ignoring the death stares being sent her way.

“Well I think it looks nice, right Blake?” 

Blake blinked in surprise at Yang asking her opinion. In fact, she was surprised Yang was talking to her at all. Sure, it had sounded a little forced, but at least she was making an effort. “Erm, sure, I mean -” she stumbled over her words. _Get it together._ “I think it’s stylish.” 

“Thank you, Blake,” came Weiss’ polite response. “Next to me, you always have been the person on the team with the most sense of style.”

“Hey!” came Yang’s immediate protest. “I have style. I have tons of style. I ooze style.”

Weiss simply raised an eyebrow at her. “One pair of aviator’s does not constitute style.”

“Anyways, we’ve started setting up camp,” butted in Ruby before an argument could break out. “It’s a little small, but we’ve cleared it and started building a fire. We were just coming to get our packs so we could finish.”

Weiss handed Ruby her pack, adjusting her own to sit on both shoulders, whilst Yang held onto two. 

Blake waited for one of her team to offer to help Yang and was slightly surprised when they didn’t. It was okay for her to offer right? Yang did seem to be talking to her a bit more, so it couldn’t hurt. Right? “Want me to take one of those for you?” offered Blake hesitantly. 

“You don’t have your own?” asked Yang, surprised.

Blake shifted uneasily. “I um…I didn’t think I’d need one.” Dammit, why was Yang making her so nervous all the time? She knew full well why. Blake felt like she was keeping secrets and it didn’t sit well. That, and other things…

“Sure, okay.” Yang tossed her the pack nonchalantly. 

“It was Uncle Qrow’s,” explained Ruby. “He was traveling with us for a bit, but had to go and you know, couldn’t exactly take his pack with him!” 

“Why not?” asked Blake. Qrow must have left before she caught up with the girls because she certainly hadn’t seen him since she’d started following. Seemed a bit unfair to her for him to leave his pack for the girls to carry.

“Oh right. You don’t know,” said Ruby nervously, glancing at Yang.

“Uncle Qrow can turn into an actual crow.” Yang shrugged like it was no big deal. 

Blake wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard right,” nodded Weiss.

“There’s a looot to catch you up on,” hinted Ruby.

  
***

  
Staring at the scraps of food before her, Blake found she wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Are you okay?” probed Ruby.

She looked around at where her teammates all sat, waiting for her response. “That was… a lot of information to take in.” Was she okay? She really didn’t know. She had no idea what her team had been going through since she left, and she suspected all she’d been told was just the surface of what had happened. 

_Pirrah._

Guilt racked through Blake. She was gone and Blake had left so fast she hadn’t even known. Her friends had all mourned her death, and Blake should have been there to mourn with them, to support them in any way she could. Instead she had run before the fight was even over. She had thought her team would be okay and so she ran.

Except they hadn’t been okay. Blake willed herself not to look at Yang’s prosthetic arm again. The details weren’t clear but Blake gathered Ruby had been traveling with team JNPR for a while before Weiss and Yang returned. Weiss had been escorted home by her father whilst Yang had stayed home. They hadn’t elaborated but Blake was certain Weiss didn’t return to Atlas willingly, and Yang? Blake guessed there was a lot more to her story, but no-one seemed to want to go into it.

Whilst Ruby was catching Blake up, with interjections from the other two, Blake had watched Yang. Not outrightly, but she’d continuously steal glances at her, her eyes naturally drawn to the blonde just as they’d always been. Yang had changed. In some ways they all had, they were all a little older, more worldly, but Yang was more reserved than she used to be. She carried a sadness with her that hadn’t been there before, and she seemed… tired. 

Since she’d started following her team. Blake had watched as night after night Yang had tossed and turned in her sleep. She’d lost count of how many times she’d almost blown her cover to wake Yang, to sit with her, to comfort her. But in the end Blake would always hesitate, knowing she wasn’t meant to be there, that she would soon leave them to carry on with their journey, whilst she went on hers. It wouldn’t have been fair to drop in only to disappear again. 

Blake shook her head. How had this happened? How had she let herself be drawn back into this group? Adam was still out there, he could be watching them right now, planning how to take them all out. She shouldn’t have come back.

Spooked, Blake stole a glance over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the woods around them.

“Blake?” 

Her attention was drawn back to her companions.

“Do you have any questions you want to ask?” Ruby waited anxiously for the torrent of questions she was expecting. 

Did Blake have questions? Hundreds, but none that she could think of related to the current topic. All related to Yang.

“Um…no.” 

“Oh.” Ruby was surprised. She remembered how many she and the team had, and Ruby was pretty sure she hadn’t covered the topic that well. “Well if you do, you know later, all you have to do is ask. Okay?”

“Thanks, Ruby.” Blake nodded gratefully. 

A quiet fell over the camp, each lost in their own thoughts of the past.

“So,” Weiss said after a few minutes, “are you going to tell us where you’ve been?”

“Weiss!” hissed Ruby admonishingly, whilst Yang shifted uncomfortably. “You can’t just ask her like that!”

Weiss blinked at Ruby, completely nonplussed. “Why not? Blake can’t avoid the question forever, so she may as well get it over with.”

Blake would have laughed at Weiss’ bluntness if it wasn’t for the sick feeling in her stomach. She knew this moment would come, they had been gearing towards it all day, and Weiss was right, she may as well get it over with.

“You’re right, Weiss. I owe you,” she glanced at Yang, “all an explanation.” 

She’d been thinking about this all afternoon. About what to say, and what not to say. Should she tell them about Adam? Aside from when she opened up to Yang, she’d always been vague about her past, and even then she left out details with Yang. Sure they all knew about her White Fang affiliations, but her and Adam’s relationship? That was an area she didn’t think she’d ever be able to fully open up about. Not for anyone. She just couldn’t.

“Well?” asked Weiss after a long pause, followed by a small ouch when Ruby jabbed her in the ribs.

Blake took a deep breath knowing that once she started this was it, she would have no choice but to continue. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff.

“I went home. To Menagerie,” she began simply. 

“Oh.” 

Weiss seemed confused by the almost obvious answer, whilst Yang’s eyes widen. 

“You went… home?” she queried, astonished.

Yang knew Blake hadn’t been home in at least six years. The last time she’d spoken to her parents, Blake had left thinking she had cut ties with them forever. Yang knew that, and putting two and two together was well aware of what a big statement that was for Blake.

“Isn’t it great?!” exclaimed Ruby, bubbling over with excitement. “She saw her parents and they made up and -” 

Ruby abruptly stopped. “You did make up, right?”

Blake nodded, smiling at the younger woman’s enthusiasm. “Yes we made up. They even came with me here to Mistral.”

“Wow. That’s great Blake. I’m really happy for you.” Yang smiled at Blake for the first time since she’d arrived and it was like air to Blake's lungs. That smile burned away the tension in her body. Her teammates enthusiasm and recognition at what a big deal this was for her was welcomed. She hadn’t been able to share it with anyone before, and it felt good to share it now. 

Encouraged, Blake felt able to continue. “I didn’t plan it. Not at first anyway. But after Beacon I felt… lost.” 

Each of them thought about their own feelings after that day. Up until then, they all thought they knew the world the lived in, of what the future would hold as huntresses. But that day they were thrown into a war they hadn’t seen coming. Evan Blake, who knew the White Fang better than any of them, couldn’t have imagined they would attack a school, but she supposed it made a little more sense now she new of Salem and the relics. Still, how could the White Fang not see they were being used? Or maybe they did they see it, and Adam just didn’t care.

Blake tried to bring her thoughts back to the present. Her team would surely expect her to continue with her explanation. There was no way she could tell them why she really left, but she could perhaps tell them part of it.

“Seeing the White Fang at Beacon, it brought up a lot of stuff for me, and I… I needed time to think. Somehow, without even realising it at first, I gravitated towards Menagerie. Sun thought I was going on a one-woman rampage against the Fang, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. I wanted nothing to do with them. I didn’t care if I never saw a White Fang member ever again at that point.”

“Wait, Sun was with you?” questioned Weiss. Blake nodded in confirmation. “I’d wondered where he’d disappeared to.”

“You took Sun with you?” Yang’s face had clouded. “Home?”

Blake shook her head, understanding how that probably sounded. “He sort of followed me.”

“But you let him stay?” Yang’s tone was almost accusatory, her hurt plain. Blake knew what Yang was probably thinking, she had spent time with Sun, but she couldn’t spend time with her team long enough to say goodbye?

“No!” protested Blake. “Well yes, but only because I couldn’t get rid of him.” Blake laughed a little at the lengths Sun went to in order to stick by her. “He wouldn’t leave me alone.” 

“Nothing new there then,” muttered Weiss.

Choosing to ignore the comment, Blake continued. “In the end I was glad he was there.” She hesitated, knowing her next comment probably wouldn’t be well received by some, but felt the need to defend Sun. “He’s turned out to be a really good friend.”

Yang huffed, crossing her arms defensively, sulky almost. Blake couldn’t quite put her finger on why. She knew Weiss and Sun had never really hit it off, and Yang always seemed, well _off_ when Sun was around, jealous even, but her reaction now was puzzling Blake. Surely Yang would be happy she had a friend with her? 

Ruby frowned at her sister. “Well, I’m glad you had a friend with you.” She paused, thinking. “What made you come back?”

Blake left her thoughts of Yang and Sun behind. “The White Fang. When I went to Menagerie I wanted nothing more to do with them, but somehow I still ended up embroiled in their plans. I tried to stay out of it, but we found out the White Fang planned to attack Haven, and then my family were attacked…“ Blake saw the looks of concern, “It’s okay. We’re all okay, but it made me realise I can’t live like this. I am partly responsible for who the White Fang are today, and I can’t stand by whilst they commit acts of violence across Remnant. So, we recruited an army of Faunas. Those of us who disagree with who the White Fang now are, who want it to be a peaceful protest group not some vigilante mob. Many of us have friends and family with the White Fang and we want to bring them home. So we’ve come here to persuade them, to ask them to stop and think about what they are doing, to not blindly follow one man and his warped ideals.” 

“Hold on a minute. The White Fang are targeting Haven? Does that mean they are working for Salem?” Weiss voiced her surprise.

“I don’t know, but it seems like too much of a coincidence doesn’t it? First they attack Beacon, next Haven, just as we find out the schools are hiding relics that Salem wants?”

“It does seem unlikely that it’s merely chance. Unless Salem is simply exploiting opportunities the White Fang are providing,” considered Weiss.

“I don’t think so. What are the odds the White Fang are targeting the exact same places as Salem? And why schools? They don’t make sense as random attacks. Yes, they are symbolic, but there are bigger targets to hit than just schools filled with students, like the SDC.”

Weiss flinched at the mention of her family company. 

“I have no doubt Adam could hit any target he liked, but these targets have purpose and it’s not the purpose of the White Fang.” Her former partner’s name rolled off her tongue with ease. The mere mention of him stirred up uncomfortable feelings within her, but she’d had years to learn to control those feelings, his name didn’t evoke the mind-numbing fear it used to. Which is why she hadn’t even considered omitting it. Not until she saw Yang’s face. Even by the glow of the fire she could see how it had drained of colour, how Yang’s metallic arm clutched at her left hand trying to control the onslaught of uncontrollable shaking.

It seemed Ruby and Weiss had noticed too. “Yang,” said Ruby softly, reaching out to touch her sisters arm.

“I’m okay,” came the automatic response.

Blake swallowed, suddenly feeling sick. “I’m sorry Yang. I didn’t think.”

Yang took a few breathes, waiting until the worst of her tremors had subsided. “I said, I’m okay.”

In the silence that followed, Blake looked worriedly to Weiss and Ruby. She wanted nothing more than to comfort Yang, the way she used to when her partner was upset, but things had changed. Now she felt she needed permission for such a task. Instead she waited for her other teammates to take charge. 

In the end, it was Yang herself. “Maybe we should call it a night, we can finish this tomorrow.” She didn’t want for a response from the others before she stood, turning her back on them as she pulled her bed roll from her pack.

“Sure,” said Ruby dubiously, watching her sister. Clearly she didn’t want Yang going to bed sad, but knew when not to push. “It is getting kinda late.”

They each stood, pulling out items they needed from their packs, packing away those they didn’t. Blake made herself useful by clearing away dinner. 

“You can use Uncle Qrow’s bedroll if you like, Blake,” offered Ruby, when she noted Blake standing awkwardly after she’d finished her task.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.“ 

“Are you kidding? Besides, he’s not here to use it.” 

Blake nodded her thanks before quietly tugging on the pack’s straps and pulling the roll out. They had automatically formed a circle around the fire, Yang opposite to Blake, Ruby to Blake’s right near her head, and Weiss at her feet to her left. 

They said their ritual good nights, just as they always had at Beacon, until the only two let to say goodnight were Blake and Yang. Blake paused, focused on Yang huddled in her bedroll, her metal arm lying within reach, but detached, her back turned to the group just as it had since she’d ended the fireside chatter. 

Blake was well aware of Ruby and Weiss lying in their beds, looking at her expectantly, not trying to hide it all.

“Goodnight Yang.”

Blake sat waiting for a response. Surely Yang wouldn’t outright ignore her? But no response came. Ruby and Weiss’ disappointment reflected her own. Blake sighed and lay down, staring up at the sky. 

“Goodnight Blake,” came a quiet voice. Yang’s voice.

It felt silly but Blake could feel tears prickling at her eyes. Moments like this meant nothing and yet everything. Blake pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, hoping no-one was watching her. She felt… well she didn’t know what she felt. Happy to be with her team, relieved they accepted her back, sad she and Yang weren’t how they used to be, worried about the future, and drained by all these different emotions swirling inside of her. She listened as slowly their breathing changed, sleep coming to each of them at different times, Yang taking the longest to settle. Blake lay on her back staring at the moon, eventually setting her feelings aside to troll through everything she’d learned today. 

The White Fang were headed to Haven. _Adam_ was heading to Haven, the same place team Rwby were heading. Blake couldn't stand by as Beacon happened all over again. If Adam and her team crossed paths they were all dead. 

She had to find a way to stop them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos welcome : )


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake share some truths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few days late - sorry!

A scream cut through the night, as Yang bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring down her face. She quickly unzipped her bag, kicking her legs free of the constrictive material. Pulling her legs up, Yang sat for a few minutes with her head on her knees, eyes closed whilst she implemented her breathing techniques.

Inhaling shakily, Yang tried counting to five, only making it to three before she exhaled again. She tried again, once more only making it as far as three. Yang tried battling the frustration she could feel building inside of her, the voice telling her three just wasn’t good enough. 

She tried again. 

Ever so slowly, her counting increased, making it to five, then seven and finally ten. Yang continued with this until she could feel herself calming down, the nightmare slowly fading. She stopped counting, instead just sitting quietly for a few moments. Without looking, she reached for her water bottle, groping the ground unsuccessfully before she remembered it was on her right, next to where her prosthetic arm lay after she’d removed it for the night. 

Yang reached for the bottle, clamping it between her legs whilst she unscrewed the lid. Taking a swig she looked at her sleeping teammates, envious of how peaceful they all looked. She was sure her scream would have woken them up, but then again, maybe she hadn’t screamed aloud, only in her head, or maybe they were just used to it by now, her night-time terrors mere background noise to their own dreams. 

She shook her head, trying to banish the grim thought from her mind. Yang’s eyes traveled back to where Blake was lying curled In a ball on top of Qrow’s bed-roll. She still couldn’t quite believe that Blake was here. Yang had thought about it time and time again, how it would go if they ever saw one-another again. Just after Blake left Yang would have been ecstatic to have her return, then as time wore on the feeling turned to anger, then to indifference, although Yang knew deep down the last one was a lie. A part of her had believed she would never see Blake again. Remnant was a big place and Blake knew how to hide. If she wanted to, they could have lived their whole lives never crossing paths again. Blake could have become a girl she just new at school once. 

But that wasn’t true. Blake would never be _just some girl_ to Yang. They’d not even known one-another a year before the events at Beacon and yet in that time Blake had become Yang’s world, and she thought she’d been Blake's. Guess she’d been proved wrong.

Lying back down, Yang tucked her arm under her head. What a fool she’d been. Blake clearly had meant more to her than she did to Blake. _I guess that’s what I get for letting someone in again,_ she thought bitterly. Her mind flickered to Raven, to Summer, even her dad Tai had checked out for a while. Sure they were good now, but it hadn’t always been that way. 

She hadn’t told him about Blake, or what had happened. He’d tried of course, they all had, but somehow, she just couldn’t bring herself to discuss it, so instead she’d lied. Lied about how it had happened, lied about how she was feeling, lied about how she just wanted to get back to being a huntress, not that she did anything to try and get back to that life. Really she was terrified. 

Then Ruby had left.

Perhaps the one person in the world who she thought never would. Yang remembered feeling so disgusted with herself. She wasn’t worth staying for. Everyone always left. 

Then there came the night when Professor’s Oobleck and Port had turned up, and Yang had laughed, and she didn’t think she could do that anymore. Later that night as they were leaving, she overheard them ask her dad if he was going after Ruby and he basically said he couldn’t because of Yang. He stayed with her because she needed him. He stayed.

It had weighed on her, the way he said it. Yang never wanted him to have to choose between looking after her and looking after Ruby. She never wanted to be that kind of a burden on her family, and the life her dad had chosen wasn’t the one she wanted - not yet anyways. So she made the decision to go after Ruby herself, to get better, to leave their home in Patch and return to the fight. 

So she trained with her dad - he used to be a very good hunter, or so he would tell them - and she knew her artificial arm was more than up to the task but still the doubt lingered, was _she_? They seemed to attract more Grimm than they used to. What if that was because of her? Because of the sadness she couldn’t shake when Blake left.

And now Blake was here, and Yang didn’t know what to do with all her feelings. 

The last embers of the fire crackled and popped. Yang shivered, the nights were getting colder, or so she told herself. It didn’t look like she was going back to sleep any time soon. Sighing, she stood up. She may as well get some more wood for the fire, at least that way she had something else to occupy her thoughts.

  
***

  
Blake had not been asleep yet, having gotten used to late nights watching over her team, so had watched Yang wake up from yet another nightmare. As always it was torture to not intervene, but Blake didn’t think Yang would appreciate it. So instead she had listened as Yang muttered in her sleep, tossing and turning. When she awoke, Blake watched Yang calm herself down, closing her eyes guiltily when Yang looked in her direction. 

She watched as Yang walked away from the camp. Quietly, Blake sat up. What was she doing? She shouldn’t be wandering around the woods at night. Maybe she was going to the toilet. Blake waited, and waited. Okay, not the toilet then. Silently, she slipped out of her bed-roll and crept after Yang. 

It didn’t take her long to find the other woman. Blake halted, watching as Yang wandered around, kicking the forest floor. After a moment she crouched down, picked up a piece of wood, looked at where her right arm used to be, before tucking the detritus under what remained of her arm. Brothers she was beautiful. Even like this, in the middle of the night after having been on the road for weeks she took Blake’s breath away. How could one person be so perfect? 

Blake hesitated. Her instinct was to join Yang, but a voice in her head was telling her to leave Yang to her task. After all, she didn’t want to seem pushy. Deciding to listen to her head rather than her heart, Blake made the decision to go, just as Yang looked up and saw her. 

Startled, Yang dropped her hoard on the ground.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” started Blake, slowly stepping forward. 

Yang didn’t respond, just looked at her a moment before turning her back and starting her task again. 

_Okay_ , thought Blake, staring at Yang’s back, _that’s a clear sign I should leave_. And yet, despite herself, she found her feet leading her closer to Yang, her hand reaching out to touch her.

Yang flinched at the contact on her right shoulder, her back going rigid, once again dropping her collection of wood to the floor as her eyes darted to the contact. Blake instantly retracted her hand.

“S-sorry.”

Yang’s eyes flickered to Blake’s before dropping to the floor. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just a little jumpy.”

“Bad dreams?”

Yang’s eyes returned to Blake’s, narrowing as they did.

“I- I heard you,” confessed Blake.

She watched as Yang flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” explained Blake. When Yang remained quiet Blake continued, “Do you want to talk about it?” She thought maybe this was a step to far, then berated herself for the very thought. She was offering comfort to a friend and there was nothing wrong with that. Except Yang didn’t want her help.

“No- no thank you.”

Neither seemed to know where to go from there, so Yang returned once more to picking up wood. Blake watched, uncertain as to whether to stay or go, as Yang picked up more and more, struggling to keep it tucked under the stump of her arm. 

She could help, that’s what she could do. “Here let me.” She reached to take a piece of wood from Yang.

Yang stepped back a little, refusing the offer. “I’m fine. I can do it.”

“Yang please, let me-”

“I SAID I’M FINE!”

Blake flinched as Yang’s red eyes glared at her. She glanced at the darkness of the forest behind Yang, wanting nothing more than to run form this confrontation. 

Yang must have read her thoughts because the next thing Blake knew she was having them yelled at her. “GO ON BLAKE! RUN, IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO! LEAVE!”

It hit her then, that’s not what she wanted. She never wanted to leave Yang’s side again, no matter how hard things became. Even if Yang didn’t want her there, she was staying, no matter what. She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. Then louder, more certain. “No. I’m not leaving.”

“WHY NOT?” Yang was still yelling, pacing furiously up and down, whilst Blake stood stock still. “WHY LEAVE THEN AND NOT NOW?”

Yang stopped pacing, facing Blake, demanding an answer. “Why leave?!” she repeated, a little quieter than before.

Yang deserved the truth, she always had, and Blake needed to give it to her, but that didn’t make the words any easier. “Because I was afraid.” 

Blake watched as Yang’s eyes filled with tears, all the fight leaving her body. “So was I. I was afraid he would hurt you again and I wouldn’t be there to stop him. I was afraid you’d do something stupid, like try to take him on your own. I was afraid you didn’t want to be with someone like me, that this,” she held up her stump, “was too much for you to handle. I was afraid you - you didn’t l-like me anymore, because you left.” Yang’s voice hardened a little. “You left without saying a word, and I didn’t know _why_.”

Silence filled the space between them. Blake could feel the tears spilling down her cheeks, but she didn’t try to wipe them away. Instead she let them flow, not hiding her shame over her behavior. Yang was right. Blake had always known she was wrong to leave the way she did. At the time she thought she had no choice, but as soon as she thought about it, she knew she did, but by then it was too late, she had already left. But never did she think Yang would believe she left because she had lost a limb. Blake realised now how worthless she had made Yang feel, something she never wanted Yang to feel, let alone be the cause of. She had to make things right, even if it took a lifetime, Blake would find a way to make this better, starting now.

“I never left because of you Yang. To me you are perfect, you always have been and you still are. I left because of my flaws. Adam was never very nice to me, always trying to control my life, to control me, and seeing him that night brought back a lot of insecurities. When he saw you, I knew he wanted to kill you. He swore to me he would take everything I loved starting with you.” Even now Adam’s words haunted Blake, the memory of that night almost too painful to bear. “I never wanted you to be caught up in that part of my past and yet you still were. Sometimes Adam’s fury knows no bounds. Once he fixates on something, he does whatever it takes to get what he wants, and what he wants is me, by his side and you, dead at his feet.”

Blake took a shaky breath, gaging Yang’s reaction. Was it too much? Maybe, but Yang needed to know. 

“I-I thought I saw him again. As we were leaving Beacon, I thought I saw him watching us, so- so I left because it was the only way I could think of to protect you.”

Yang inhaled sharply.

“I know I was wrong,” continued Blake quickly, she needed to say this before Yang could stop. “I know that I could have found another way, we could have found another way, but I just couldn’t see it at the time, and I’m sorry. I never wanted you to worry about me, or to think it was because of your arm, or because you didn’t mean anything to me, because you did. You still do.”

She almost said them, those three words that burned inside of her, _I love you_ , but she didn’t. Somehow now didn’t seen like the right time.

Yang’s eyes were lilac once more, her temper dissipated. Now she seemed sad, depleted almost. “You should have stayed. We’re partners, we’re supposed to protect each other.” 

Blake swallowed thickly. “I know.”

“You shouldn’t fight him alone.”

“I don’t want to.” Even though the thought of Yang being anywhere near Adam made her stomach drop, Blake knew she was right. “We’re better when we’re together.”

“I’m better when I’m with you,” whispered Yang. 

“Yang? I - ” _just say it,_ “I - I’m sorry.”

The blonde nodded. “I know you are, and I’m sorry too. For scaring you, before.”

“It’s okay,” Blake quickly placated.

“No, it’s not. I never want to lose my temper like that, not with you. I’m- I’m working on how to control it.”

Now it was Blake’s turn to nod. She didn’t really know what to say next. There was so much to talk about, but neither seemed to know where to start.

“It’s getting late,” said Yang after a moment of awkward silence, “we should probably get some sleep.”

They walked back to the camp in silence, the mood between them feeling a little lighter. Blake still felt partly on edge, but that was to be expected. They weren’t going to fix everything in one night.

Weiss stirred as they crept back into camp. “Everything okay?” she mumbled through half-lidded eyes.

“We’re fine, Weiss,” said Yang. “Go back to sleep.”

Weiss didn’t need telling twice, her eyes closing once more. Blake and Yang stood awkwardly just outside their circle of beds. The fire had almost died, Yang never did collect the wood in the end, and Blake found herself shivering in the cool night air. She wanted to hug Yang goodnight, but didn’t feel like she could take such liberties. They had come a long way tonight, but they weren’t back to where they were yet.

“Goodnight Yang,” Blake finally said, a little awkwardly.

“Night Blake.”

As Blake’s eyes finally closed that night she was plagued with dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an version where it basically ended there, but I didn't want to write something where everything was ok after one conversation because more often than not, real life doesn't work that way. And so their make-up or break-up continues...
> 
> As always comments and kudos welcomed, and thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just re-read my synopsis and it says fluff with some angst. Lol! Nope. That is so not what has happened!
> 
> I should probably clarify, pretty much everything up to Yang and Weiss joining Ruby in Mistral is cannon. The difference in this story is they caught up before they reached Mistral.

Yang screamed in frustration, punching a tree for extra effect. The loud crack the tree made as it split in half mostly drowned out her exclamation of “We SUCK!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” offered Ruby unconvincingly.

Weiss threw a disdainful look in Ruby’s direction. “What are you talking about? It was terrible!”

“Weiss,” said Ruby warningly.

“It’s this stupid arm!” yelled Yang, pulling of her prosthetic and throwing to the floor in disgust. “It’s a piece of junk!”

“Yang Xiao Long!” admonished Weiss. “That _piece of junk_ is state-of-the-art Atlesian military technology!”

“Well your military is bullshit!” Yang flung at Weiss before stomping off into the forest.

Weiss gasped at the insult, which she took very personally considering her sister Winter had made a career in the Atlesian military, and Winter was of course _excellent_ at it, the best in fact.

“Yang!” called out Blake, making to move after the blonde, until Ruby took hold of her wrist stopping her.

“Just give her a minute.”

Blake’s shoulders slumped. “This is all my fault,” she muttered, sinking to the floor.

They had been training all morning, upon their team leaders insistence and to say it hadn’t been going well was an understatement. Every-time Ruby called for a bumbleby move Yang and Blake ended up almost killing one another, or their team-mates, or anything in their general vicinity to be honest. Yang was right, they did suck.

“What are you talking about?” asked Weiss, irritated, one hand on a cocked hip.

Blake looked up to where Ruby and Weiss stood in front of her. “I mean you were doing fine until I came along. I watched you train, you adapted, you were all so _slick_. And now… you don’t need me.”

“Oh please! Enough with the pity-party!” said an exasperated Weiss. Ruby looked like she was going to intervene on Blake’s behalf but one glare from Weiss quickly shut that idea down. “You watched us for what, a day? Two? You think we just clicked back together and that it wasn’t hard work?”

Blake didn’t say anything, but yeah, she kind of did think that.

“We hadn’t seen one-another in almost a year, and yes sometimes things seemed to flow wonderfully, but other times we were a disaster.”

“Weiss is right,” added Ruby gently, sitting down next to Blake. “We have all been through things in the past year that we’re still trying to deal with, and sometimes those things get in the way, but we’ve been finding a way to work through them together. That’s what you and Yang need to do.” 

“I thought we had,” she paused, before deciding to elaborate. “We had a talk and cleared the air a little, but now this morning, it’s as if it never happened.” 

Blake felt miserable. Yang had been so prickly again this morning, and Blake couldn’t help but think it was her fault, although what she had done she didn’t know, besides leaving an injured Yang all alone and dropping out of her life for the past year. 

“So, you try again,” offered Ruby as a solution. “You talk, and you keep talking until everything is out in the open. Remember Yang has her own demons she’s working through. Sometimes its not about us at all.”

The way Ruby said it left Blake wondering how many times she’d been on the receiving end of one of Yang’s tirades. She didn’t want to know. It was too sad to think of Ruby and Yang arguing when both sisters absolutely adored one-another.

Ruby stood, brushing herself off. Blake looked at her questioningly.

“I’m going to check she’s okay,” came the explanation.

Blake almost offered to go with her, but didn’t think it would be a good idea. She needed to think about what Weiss and Ruby had said, besides, she and Yang needed a break from each other. 

  
***

  
Yang could feel them all watching her as she left, and it only irritated her more. She hated having outbursts like this in front of her team, if only because it made her feel weak, like she wasn’t okay, that she couldn’t cope. Which was a little too close to the truth for her liking. Everyone used to say she was the strongest and most capable person they knew, so why couldn’t she just be that person again?

And now Blake was back with them and everything should have just fallen into place, except Yang felt completely off-kilter. All the thoughts and feelings she believed she had dealt with had risen up and were now bubbling under the surface. After their talk last night, Yang had thought they’d be okay, she and Blake would just go back to being who they were, yet when she woke up today, Yang felt tired and grumpy, and everything was making her mad. She thought she’d left these feelings behind in Patch, but no, here they were again.

Frustrated tears started to spill as Yang stomped further away form her team until she finally leaned against a tree, her arm acting as a barrier between her head and the bark. Yang would have liked to punch the tree with her other arm, except she couldn’t of course, having left her prosthetic on the floor at the camp, so instead she settled for a good kick instead. 

“Yang? Are you okay?”

Yang tried to blink away her tears, keeping her face hidden in her arm. “Go away Ruby,” she growled.

“Nuh-uh. Nope. Can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not?” asked Yang, still hiding.

“Because you’re my sister, and you’re upset, and I promised myself I’d never walk away from you again when you are hurting.”

Yang groaned. Trust Ruby to know how to punch her right in the gut. Making sure to wipe her still wet eyes on her arm as best she could, Yang slowly turned around. Ruby was sat on a fallen tree, legs swinging slightly as she looked at her sister. She still looked so young, but Yang had seen just how much Ruby had grown whilst she’d stayed home, and not just physically. Some of the innocence she’d had was lost, but she still had a big heart, and tons of optimism, and somehow the wisdom she used to hide behind childishness shone through more. That being said, she could still be pretty childish when she wanted to be, just ask Weiss, but it was tempered by other qualities these days.

“So, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Yang didn’t know why she said it, she knew full well what Ruby was talking about.

To Ruby’s credited she didn’t give Yang the eye-roll she deserved. Instead she followed Yang’s thread and answered the question. “Well, you seem off your game today, and Blake’s here and -”

“I already told you it’s that stupid arm. Weiss can praise Atlas technology all she likes but it doesn’t change the fact that stupid prosthetic doesn’t feel right, and it hurts, and it’s unreliable.”

“Yang…”

There was no fooling her sister and Yang knew it. Sighing, she stopped pacing and sat next to Ruby. Not looking at her, Yang leaned forward to stare at the forest floor, her arm resting across her knee. “I’m scared, Ruby,” she finally admitted.

Ruby didn’t say anything, sensing Yang had more to say. “I can’t stop seeing him hurting her. Everyone always talks about me losing my arm, but Blake could have lost her life that day. What if I make a mistake and she ends up hurt again? Or,” Yang was almost too afraid to say it out loud, “she decides this is all too much and takes off again? What if I’m not… enough… I’m not worth sticking around for?”

“Yang…” said Ruby again, sadly. “Have you spoken to Blake about this?”

“Not really,” said Yang, shaking her head. “We talked a little about why she left - she said it was to protect me, to protect all of us - but knowing that doesn’t erase all the pain of the last year. I spent so many of my waking minutes wondering why, worrying she was hurt or worse. I started analyzing every moment we ever had, if she didn’t really care for us at all, trying to decide if it was all an act. I thought if I knew why, I could just wipe all those thoughts away and start again, but instead it has just left me frightened to go through it all again. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her again, Rubes.”

There was more to the story than Yang was saying, but she wasn’t ready to admit it to herself, let alone her baby sister. 

“Were you and Blake… together, at Beacon?”

Yang swallowed hard. Trust Ruby to know exactly what Yang wasn’t saying. “Together?” she choked, hardly wanting Ruby to elaborate, but so shocked her sister had brought it up that she could only repeat the word.

“Like… romantically?” pressed Ruby, seeming a little nervous herself. They had never really talked about this sort of stuff, not in a serious way.

“No, we weren’t,” answered Yang truthfully. Maybe if the fall of Beacon hadn’t of happened… Yang was surprised Ruby had been so perceptive about her feelings for Blake though. Was she really that transparent? Regardless, her curiosity was piqued. “Why do you ask?”

“You just always seemed like you were,” shrugged Ruby. 

Now Yang felt a little uncomfortable, although she couldn’t put her finger on why. “What do you mean?”

“I dunno. Just the way you behaved around one another. It was the little things like touches here and there, or they way when one of you was sitting, the others head always gravitated to the lap, or how you always sought the other out, or how your face would light up when Blake walked into the room, and she did the same, or -”

“Okay, okay I get it,” said Yang blushing, cutting her little sister off before she could embarrass her any further. Yang couldn’t deny what Ruby was saying. They did do all those things, and at first Yang thought it was just normal partner stuff, like being thrown together in a team was bound to create a close bond, but slowly she understood her feelings for Blake ran deeper than that.

Yang decided to throw all caution to the wind, and not even deny what Ruby was saying. This was Ruby after all. “Was I really that obvious?”

Ruby smiled, nodding. “You were like a love-sick puppy.”

“I was not!” protested Yang, giving Ruby a small shove.

“Just ask Weiss, or Nora, or Ren, or Jaune, or Uncle Qrow, or -”

“Ruby!” Yang had enough of her little sisters teasing. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the revelation that everyone in her life knew how in love she was with Blake. In love. The thought surprised her, but it was true, there was no point in denying it. 

Sliding her arm around Yangs waist, Ruby leaned her head against her sisters shoulder. “You should talk to her. Blake is the only one that can give you answers. She’s pretty upset too, you know. Maybe she knows more of what you’re feeling than you think.”

Yang tilted her head towards Ruby, “What do y-”

“Yang?”

Yang jumped so hard, she cracked her jaw on Ruby’s head.

“Ow!” yelped Ruby, rubbing the impact point. 

Yang sprang to her feet, twisting so quickly to face the figure behind them, she almost lost her balance.

“B-Blake!” Yang’s face was scarlet. “When did you… How long have you…” 

“Not long.”

_Not long?_ That hardly answered Yang’s question. How much had she heard? She glanced at Ruby who shrugged, seemingly knowing exactly what Yang really wanted to know. She looked back at Blake, standing with one arm dangling at her side, the other crossing her waist to clutch her elbow, and was she blushing? Yang couldn’t be sure, but every fear in Yang’s head seemed to confirm Blake had heard enough.

“I… um… I came to see if you were okay, and to apologize.”

Ruby slid off the log. “I’d better get back to Weiss. She’s probably er… missing me,” finished Ruby lamely, ignoring Yang’s pleading look before skipping away.

Yang watched her sister leave, swearing to get revenge on being left like this, before her eyes settled back on Blake. Instantly she felt guilty for wanting revenge. This was Blake. She could be left alone with Blake. She certainly didn’t want to avoid her, but it would have been nice to have time to think about everything she and Ruby had discussed first. 

Her thoughts returned to Blake’s opening remarks. “Apologize? What for?” 

Blake took a step forward but then stopped herself. She looked incredibly unsure of herself, and it saddened Yang. She didn’t want Blake to feel this way around her. “For messing up, during training. I was all over the place, and you were paying the price and I just - I can’t be like that.”

A part of Yang wanted to scream at Blake in frustration, not because of what Blake was saying but because of how she was saying it. Blake didn’t deserve that though, so instead Yang took a deep breath and said, “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“What?” 

“Blame yourself for everything. Not everything is your fault.”

“But I -”

“Made a few wrong calls?” asked Yang cutting her off. “Well so did I!”

“But -”

“No buts Blake. We were both messing up today, but that’s why we train, so that when it comes to a real fight we are as prepared as we can be and don’t make those kinds of mistakes. We both need to get used to working with one another again.”

Blake sighed, finally letting her guard down. “I just don’t remember it ever being this hard,” she admitted, slowly making her way to the log Ruby had just vacated.

“I know,” agreed Yang, sitting next to Blake, facing the opposite way. “We just clicked from that very first fight in the forest. But don’t you remember some of our training sessions after that? We made some pretty bad mistakes back then.” Yang smiled at the memories and was pleased to see Blake doing the same. “Remember when we were sparring with team JNPR,” asked Yang latching onto a memory, “and we were trying out combination 2-5-2, and somehow we ended up taking out the whole of team JNPR and our own team, including ourselves, and Professor’s Port and Goodwitch?” 

Blake snickered, “And then Professor Port sat up and said -”

“Well that was rather grim!” they both finished in mock Port voices, suddenly laughing uncontrollably at the absurdity of the moment as if it were happening all over again. 

“I wonder what he’s up to now,” said Blake wistfully, as her laughter subsided.

“I saw him not too long ago, and Oobleck.” Yang stared out into the forest ahead, remembering the night they had visited. The night which had, in the end, spurred her on to getting back to her old self. “They’re rebuilding Beacon.”

“They are?” Yang suspected that like her, Blake had never considered such a thing. 

“They’ve cleared out nearly all the remaining Grimm now, although they’re still working on what to do with the one frozen at the top of the tower, and Professor Goodwitch is leading a team who are rebuilding. I think they are hoping to start letting students back within the year.” 

“Would you go back? To Beacon? Finish your training, get your license?” 

Yang shivered slightly. “No. I don’t know if I could ever go back there. Would you?”

“No,” answered Blake quickly, as if she had thought about this before and already knew her answer. “Beacon was a safe-haven for me once, but it’s tainted now. Even the good memories are sullied in a way.”

“Not all of them I hope?” asked Yang, smiling at Blake, remembering all the hours they had spent together. 

Blake couldn’t help but smile back. “No, not all of them.”

They fell into a companionable silence for a minute, Yang lost in thoughts of their time together at Beacon, which of course immediately led to her conversation with Ruby only a few moments before. She could feel her cheeks burning and needed to think about something else, and fast.

“So you went -” she began just as Blake started to talk. The both abruptly stopped, smiling awkwardly. 

“You go,” said Blake.

Yang shifted so she was sat length-way’s on the long, facing Blake’s profile. “I was just going to ask about your trip home. How was it? Seeing your parents after such a long time?”

“It was…” Blake stared off into the forest, “terrifying, and amazing. They’re amazing. I was so nervous, but they just welcomed me back without question.” She changed position to mirror Yang so they were facing each other. “They listened, and were understanding and supportive. They were thrilled to meet Sun. Well my mum was, my dad not so much.” Blake laughed a little to herself, whilst Yang felt a stab of jealousy that Sun had met Blake’s parents when she hadn’t, and just like that all thoughts feelings were pushing their way up again. “I told them about the fall of Beacon, and where I now stood with the White Fang, and that was when they decided to help me. We managed to obtain a scroll that suggested the next target was Haven and so we mobilized the faunus of Menagerie and set out together.”

“So they’re here with you?” asked Yang.

Blake nodded. “They were, until I split off to scout ahead. We’re a large group and were moving a little too slowly for my liking, so I went ahead, cutting through the forest.” Her voice quieted a little. “That’s when I spotted the three of you.” She looked to Yang, gauging her reaction. Seemingly happy with what she saw, she continued. “I was shocked at first, a reunion in a forest wasn’t exactly what I had imagined. I wanted nothing more to join you, but I was scared of how you might all react. The more I watched you, the more I convinced myself none of you needed me.”

Yang wanted to protest, to tell Blake they would always need her, but Blake wasn’t finished.

“So I decided I would just follow you for a little while, to make sure you were all okay, and then,” she almost stopped herself from saying the next words, “I’d leave.”

Blake paused, her voice hitching a little at those last words. Yang frowned. She was just going to leave? Without saying anything - again? Yang stared at Blake, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. The pain and anger Yang felt at hearing Blake didn’t want to stay was almost overwhelming. Before she could say anything, Blake started talking again.

“Which was why I was under prepared when I ran into you all yesterday. I heard Weiss scream and thought you were being attacked and I guess instinct just kicked in.” 

Yang was still hung up on Blake saying she wanted to leave. “So you’re going to leave again? Even after what you said last night?”

Blake’s eyes went wide, her ears flattening. “No! No, I - I thought it would be easier, but -” she cut Yang off before she could say anything, “I can’t because I don’t want to. I know Adam is still out there, and I know he won’t stop coming after me, after _you_ , but despite that I can’t leave you, Yang. I don’t want to ever leave you again.”

Yang could hear the truth in Blake’s words. Yes she was scared, but she was fighting her fear because more than running, she wanted to stay - for Yang. She knew why Blake leaving had hurt so much, and why those feelings had been pulled to the surface once more, because there was another feeling that came with it, that was so powerful Yang sometimes felt she was drowning in it.

She couldn’t bear to see Blake cry. Instead Yang, pulled her into her chest, wrapping her arm around her. “I love you,” she whispered into Blake’s hair.

Blake tensed, pulling back to give Yang a startled look. “You - you what?”

Yang was confused for a moment by Blake’s sudden change in demeanour, then she realized what she said. She didn’t mean to, it just kind of slipped out. Now it was her turn to go wide-eyed. Embarrassed, Yang pulled apart from Blake. “I um - I…” She couldn’t find her words. 

“You love me?” questioned Blake softly. 

An overwhelming part of Yang wanted to run as far away from this situation as was humanly possibly, but she couldn’t do that to Blake, especially after she’d led off at her for her own tendency to run when scared. Yang ran her hand nervously through her hair. “I…er… I guess? I mean, I -” She wriggled uncomfortably, trying to put some distance between them.

Distance that Blake didn’t seem to want. Before Yang knew what was happening, Blake’s lips were on hers. Yang had time to notice how soft they felt on her own, how much she tingled at the contact, how her own lips instinctively parted a little more, a soft moan of pleasure escaping before panic set in, she stiffened and jerked away.

A move she instantly regretted because Blake looked stricken. 

“I- I’m s-so sorry,” she stuttered, scooting away from Yang. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what I was thinking. To - to kiss you without even ask -” she muttered to herself, pulling one leg over the log, readying to jump off. 

Yang’s brain kicked back into gear. Reaching out she grabbed Blake’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Blake shook her head, “No it’s not. I shouldn’t have done that without asking you first.”

“Blake.” Yang commanded, needing Blake to look at her. “Blake,” she tried again, this time yellow eyes meeting her own. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I jerked away. I… liked it.” Yang knew how this must sound to Blake. She certainly didn’t act as though she liked it. “I just -” Yang struggled to explain herself. “I just don’t think I’m ready for anything like that right now.” She sighed dejectedly. Kissing Blake was something she’d thought about - a lot. Having Blake kiss her for the first time and Yang pulling away was not what she had expected to do. She really did want to kiss Blake more, every day if she could, but although that desire was there, something was holding her back. “I’ve not been in a good place, and I don’t want us to start something, only for it to go wrong because I’m still working through stuff,” she tried explaining. 

Blake nodded in understanding, even whilst she sat with her head hanging, her body language dejected. Yang wasn’t sure if Blake had really even heard what she said.

Inching a little closer, Yang tried elaborating. It was hard to articulate when she was trying to work out her own feelings on the matter, but for Blake’s sake, and her own, she needed to. She wanted to make this right. After all, she had uttered those three little words. Three little words with the biggest meaning in the world. “I’ve spent most of the past year angry at you.” Blake flinched a little. So she was listening. “Not because of my arm, no my anger for that is reserved for Adam, but because you made me feel like what we had wasn’t important. That I wasn’t important to you. I understand now why you left, but that doesn’t erase the hurt. I need to work on those feelings, and they are about much more than just you I think. You’re leaving just compounded feelings that I thought I’d dealt with long ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Blake said again.

“I’m not blaming you, Blake.” Yang sighed, trying to think of a way to make Blake understand. “I didn’t tell you at the time, but my mom had re-surfaced.”

Blake’s head jerked up.

Yang nodded. “I know. And when I say re-surfaced, I don’t mean in a good way either. Turns out she’s been checking in with Uncle Qrow from time to time. She saved me from Neo that day on the train, but then asked Qrow to tell me she wouldn’t do it again. So, Raven was on my mind quiet a bit. Then Beacon happened, and I was so… _angry._ Angry at my mom for coming back into my life, at Adam for hurting us both, at my dad for trying so hard with me, at Ruby for wanting to continue fighting, at you for not letting us know you were okay… I was so angry I didn’t know what to do with it all. There were times it was so overwhelming I -” Yang stopped herself, not wanting to return to how dark some days were. “So I detached. I learned how to not feel anything at all, at least I thought I did, but people have a way of making you feel again.”

She smiled at the memories of Professor’s Oobleck and Port making her laugh, and facing the truth of why she wouldn’t even try her new arm, and her dad’s unending patience with her to giving up his time to help her get fighting fit again even after she’d pushed him away. Even Ruby had written to her when she could, giving her news of each village or town they visited, and updates on Nora, Ren and Jaune.

“What made you come back?” asked Blake tentatively.

Yang was brought out of her musings by the question. “A number of things. The professors, seeing my dad sad at not being able to help neither me nor Ruby, a curiosity about my mom, Ruby’s letters. They all pushed me in the end, but I guess mostly I felt I had to help Ruby. I hated the thought of her out here alone. I know she wasn’t actually alone. She had Jaune and Nora and Ren, but she didn’t have me. I knew if anything happened to her I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I could have helped her.”

“So you came after her,” smiled Blake.

“Not before visiting Raven.”

“You found your mom?” asked Blake, shocked. Raven was always such a sore point for Yang that the thought of her actively looking for her was a surprise. “How was it?”

Yang shrugged. “Awful.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, and Blake didn’t press. 

“She was cold and uncaring. Tried to get me to join her band, although she didn’t try very hard. She clearly didn’t want me there. To be fair, I didn’t really want to be there either, but she was my quickest way to find Ruby, and although I didn’t want to be there, some part of me needed to see her. I needed to remind myself of why I hated her. She made it pretty easy. So we left as quickly as we could.”

“We?”

“Oh yeah, she kidnapped Weiss.” Yang smiled at Blake’s expression. “I know, right? The only good thing to come out of it all was that Weiss and I found each other, and then together we found Rubes.”

Yang watched Blake process all that she’d been told, her ears flicking slightly as new thoughts passed through her. Yang wanted nothing more than to reach out and stroke those ears, which brought her back round to why she’d started to confess her feelings in the first place.

“Blake,” she said quietly, getting Blake’s attention once more. “I meant what I said. I do love you,” - it was easier to say it the second time - “and I guess you like me to?” She said it a little uncertainly, despite Blake initiating the kiss.

“How could I not?” asked Blake so emphatically, she pulled a huge grin onto Yang’s face. 

“I would really like us to maybe explore this more… one day, but I think we need to get used to being in each others company again before we start with all the kissing and stuff.”

Yang felt a little awkward. In some ways what she was saying was going against everything she wanted, but her gut was telling her it was the right thing to do. She meant what she’d said before, she didn’t want to mess this up, and starting a relationship from such a bad place in her life just felt like she would be setting them up to fail.

Blake smiled. “I can wait.”

She didn’t say it, but Yang heard her unspoken words. I’m not going anywhere.

“Can I hug you?” asked Yang, needing the comfort of Blake in her arms. She didn’t know what she’d do if Blake said no.

“Of course you can!” smiled Blake shyly, before adding with mock sternness “But no kissing.” 

Yang laughed at the admonishment, despite not being the perpetrator of such an act. “Not yet,” she corrected as Blake pulled her into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again I could have finished this here but I am having fun writing our Bees so I think I will continue for a bit. I want to show their relationship grow, and the whole fluffy idea in my head that started this story actually hasn't made it in yet. Maybe next chapter.
> 
> Thanks as ever for reading. Comments and kudos always welcomed x

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos greatly welcomed, friends.
> 
> I'll post weekly if not sooner.


End file.
